Puzzle.



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AJ. HQ SAVIDGE. PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FIIEDYIEB. 19. 1907.

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5M wufoz 4 jJ/m H. San'dy JOI-IN H. SAVIDGE, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1907.

Application flied February 19, 1907. Serial No. 358,223.

To all whom' vit may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. SAVIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games or puzzles oi that class which includes a base having compartments connected by passages, and spheres or balls placed in said compartments; said base being adapted to be tilted for the purpose oi guiding the several balls into the different compartments.

'lhe invention has for its objects to present a puzzle of this class which is simple in construction and which i shall be so arranged as to require considerable skill and steadiness on the part of the operator.

With these and other ends in View which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is betterunden stood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope o the invention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan `view of a puzzle constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view showing the puzzle together with a lid or cover placed in position thereon.

Corresponding parts in both figures are denoted by like character's of reference.

The improved puzzle in its preferred form consists of a shallow rectangular box A for which a lid B is preferably provided. In said box are disposed partitions or vertical iianges 2 and 3 coperating to form passages in the form of a Y, the divergent branches of which are preferably wider than the shank of said Y; at the base of the latter, at one end of the box or receptacle, and communicating with the passage constituting the shank oi the Y, is formed a compartment C.

In the passages formed by the divergent branches of the Y, and intermediate the walls of said passages, are placed partitions 4 whereby a plurality of alleys 5, 6, 7 and 8 are formed; the inner ends of said alleys being in communication with the central longitudinal passage 9 formed by the shank of the Y while the outer ends of said alleys are closed by the walls 0i the box or casing. Each of the alleys 5, 6, 7 and 8 is marked with a certain color, such as brown, black and white', or with a word indicating the name of a certain material, such as Glass, to indicate the color or the component material of the plurality of sets oi balls or spheres such as ordinary marbles l0. In theform of the game or puzzle illustrated in the drawing there are iour alleys, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and four sets of marbles will be used in playing the game, each set being composed of any desired number of units. Thus in the illustration, there have been shown sixteen balls or marbles, namely, four white, four brown, four black, and four that are made of transparent glass and thereby distinguished from the others.

The game consists in placing the entire number of marbles in the compartment C and in tilting the box so as to roll the white marbles into the alley marked White,`the brown marbles in the alley marked Brown, the black ones into the alley marked Black, and the transparent glass ones into the `alley marked Glass; to thus separate the different marbles will require considerable skill and patience and the game will be found amusing and entertaining. It may be Considered suggestive of the difiiculties encountered by switchmen in guiding railroad trains into the proper switches.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. The herein described puzzle or game apparatus of the character described comprising a base having edge flanges, flanges or partitions disposed on the base so as to form channels in the shape of the letter Y, the divergent branches of which channels are wider than the shank of said letter Y, curved Walls diverging from the base of the shank of the Y and extending to the opposite corners of one end of the box, said walls forming an inclosed compartment, and rolling objects in the channels.

2. The herein described puzzle or game apparatus of the character described comprising a base having edge flanges, iianges or partitions disposed on the base so as to form channels in the shape of the letter Y, divergent branches of which channels are wider than the shank of said letter Y, and auxiliary partitions or Iianges placed in said divergent branches intermediate the walls of the latter and parallel therewith, said auxiliary partitions forming a plurality of divergent alleys, said diverging` alleys communicating with the shank of the Y shaped passage, curved walls diverging from the base of the shank of the Y shaped passage and extending to the opposite corners of one end of the box, said walls forming an inclosed compartment for balls.

In testimony whereof, 1 aiiix my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

JOI-IN H. SAVIDGE.

Witnesses:

L. C. HAY, .Toi-1N G. BOEKER. 

